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Wikipedia founder in the goldfish bowl

The easiest way to explain mass open collaboration online - to people who may not be familiar with the idea - is to mention Wikipedia, "the free encyclopedia anyone can edit". I'm a big fan, and generally believe there's a lot of potential for extending collaborative editing to collaborative problem-solving.
As founder Jimbo Wales explains in this video, there's a complex system of governance behind the scenes including a "neutral point-of-view policy", and a core group of editors, so the whole thing operates as "a democracy with a bit of aristocracy and some monarchy thrown in".
The king is now involved in some personal controversy about privacy, neutrality and governance. The Register is running a story Jimbo Wales dumps lover on Wikipedia. It's about his relationship with Fox News pundit Rachel Marsden, how it ended, and how her Wikipedia bio was edited. Here's Jimbo Wales statement, and a report in Valleywag of texts about his possible influence.
I find it difficult to see any editorial wrong-doing from what's reported - however it does highlight the privacy and governance challenges of mass collaboration. It may add some buzz to the launch tonight of Charles Leadbeater's excellent book We-think, which works through the benefits and risks of an open approach:

We Think explores how the web is changing our world, creating a culture in which more people than ever can participate, share and collaborate, ideas and information.
Ideas take life when they are shared. That is why the web is such a potent platform for creativity and innovation.
It's also at the heart of why the web should be good for : democracy, by giving more people a voice and the ability to organise themselves; freedom, by giving more people the opportunity to be creative and equality, by allowing knowledge to be set free.
But sharing also brings with it dilemmas.
It leaves us more open to abuse and invasions of privacy.
Participation is not always a good thing: it can just create a cacophony.
Collaboration is sustained and reliable only under conditions which allow for self organisation.

You can down download the first three chapters here.The launch is in the form of a debate between Charles and Andrew Keen, who is promoting his own rather contrary view in his book The Cult of the Amateur. They will be discussing:

Will a new culture of mass collaboration lead to enhanced creativity and ultimately, to innovation, or are we simply providing a forum for the misuse of information and for the erosion of quality? Will a new culture of mass collaboration lead to enhanced creativity and ultimately, to innovation, or are we simply providing a forum for the misuse of information and for the erosion of quality?

It seems Andrew was talking to Jimbo only last week about the flaws he sees in Wikipedia. Hope we get a recap.
There' a neat summary from Roland Harwood on the NESTA Connect blog about success factors for mass collaboration for innovation, based on Wikipedia experience.
More later on the session Laura Whitehead, Nick Booth and I ran last week at the Circuit Riders conference, about social media. Title: Naked in a Goldfish Bowl. As Laura reports, it was substantially about Beth Kanter's success in personal fundraising. There are upsides.
Hat tip to Bill Thompson for tip via Twitter